On Sunday, October 12, 2025, former member of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Shehu Sani stirred conversations online with a post on Facebook, urging Nigerians to reflect on how they speak about their country and the impact it has on how they are treated abroad.
In his message, Senator Sani questioned why many Nigerians feel offended when foreigners label them with negative stereotypes such as cybercrime, drug smuggling, or fraud, even though some Nigerians consistently portray their own country in a bad light.
He argued that when citizens constantly share only the negatives about their nation, it shapes how others around the world view them.
“Why do you feel bad when the Emirate people call you a nation of drugs smugglers and fraudsters when you don’t say good things about your country?” Sani wrote. “Why do you feel bad when Ghanaians chase you out of their country when you are the one telling the World how bad your country is?”
The former lawmaker pointed out that it becomes difficult for foreigners to see Nigerians in a positive light when Nigerians themselves rarely show pride in their identity or express love for their country publicly.
Sani wrote, “You insult your parents, spit on the graves of your ancestors and ancestral lands. You demonise your country. And you want to be loved by the citizens of other nations; that’s not possible. Everything you say about yourself becomes your identity and the impressions you create about yourself.”
According to him, the constant negativity makes it easier for other nations to justify denying visas, deporting Nigerians, or treating them with suspicion.
He also highlighted internal issues, such as ethnic and religious discrimination within Nigeria, suggesting that if Nigerians do not treat each other fairly at home, it is unrealistic to expect respect abroad.
Sani’s post ended with a powerful reflection: if Nigerians continue to speak of their country as cursed, they should not be surprised when the rest of the world sees it that way too. See, More, Here>>>
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